Track tamping machine



Feb 25, 1969 F. PLAssER ETAL.

TRACK TAMPING MACHINE Filed June 6, 1967 INVENTOR. 1f/mz PLAssfe new Tueure 3,429,276 TRACK TAMPENG MACHINE Franz Plasser and Josef Theurer, both of .Iohannesgassc 3, Vienna, Austria Continuation-impart of applications Ser. No. 441,229, Mar. 19, 1965, and Ser. No. 528,277, Feb. 17, 1966. This application June 6, 1967, Ser. No. 643,972

Claims priority, application Austria, .Inne 15, 1966,

A 5,733/ 66 U.S. Cl. 104-12 Int. Cl. E01b 27/02 8 Claims ABSTRACT F THE DISCLGSURE Cross-reference t0 related application This is a continuation-impart of our copending applications Ser. No. 441,229, tiled Mar. 19, 1965, now US. Patent No. 3,372,651 and Ser. No. 528,277, tiled Feb. 17, 1966, now U.S. Patent No. 3,357,366.

Background and summary of the invention The present invention relates to improvements in a tamping tool, and to a tamping tool assembly incorporating such a novel tamping tool.

In the track tampers disclosed in the above-identified applications, we mount groups of tamping tools on a carriage frame, each group being arranged to tamp one tie at any one time, and space the tamping tool groups from each other in the direction of track elongation so that adjacent tools of adjacent groups are at a smaller distance from each other than the distance between adjacent ties whereby the adjacent tools may be immersed in the ballast between two adjacent ties.

Some difculties have been encountered with the abovedescribed arrangement because the simultaneous immersion of adjacent tamping tools of adjacent tamping tool groups in a single interspace between adjacent ties has produced increased resistance by the ballast against the penetration of the tamping tools into the bed. Also, the reciprocating movement of the adjacent tamping tools in the same interspace was limited unless additional space was wasted in mounting the tools in laterally staggered relationship. To avoid damage to the tools during their reciprocation, the compacting stroke had to be limited, thus reducing tamping quality.

To overcome these disadvantages and difiiculties, it is the primary object of the present invention to provide an improved tamping tool particularly useful in such tampers.

This and other objects and advantages are accomplished in accordance with the invention by providing two portions of the adjacent tamping tools, which are offset in the direction of track elongation in two planes substantially vertical to the track plane.

To enable two adjacent tamping tools in the same 3,429,276 Patented Feb. 25, 1969 interspace between two ties to be moved as closely t0- wards each other as possible, whereby the reciprocating tamping stroke of such tools is increased, the lower portions of the tamping tools are cranked in respect of the upper tamping tool portions in the direction of reciprocation, i.e. the track elongation, the lower portions being closer to each other than the upper portions. In this manner, the tamping tool jaws of the adjacent tools may be moved into overlapping relationship in a plane transverse to the track elongation.

According to another feature of the tamping tool c0niguration, the lower portions of the the adjacent tamping tools are laterally cranked in respect of the -upper tamping tool portions, i.e. in the direction of the tie elongation. In this manner, the upper tamping tool portions may be moved in the same vertical plane while the lower portions are moved past each other.

Preferably, the adjacent tamping tools are cranked in both directions so that they may go through a maximum tamping stroke without interference with, or damage to, each other.

Brief description of drawing The above and other objects, advantages and features of the present invention will be more fully understood by reference to the yfollowing detailed description of now preferred embodiments, taken in conjunction with the drawing wherein FIG. l is a partial side view of a track tamper incorporating a tamping assembly with tamping tools according to this invention;

FIG. 2 is a front View of a portion of the adjacent tamping tools of the two adjacent groups of tools, seen in the direction of arrow II of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a schematic top view showing the positions of the tamping tools of the assembly of FIG. l in relation to a pair of adjacent ties.

Detailed description The tamping tool assembly is the same as that more fully described and illustrated in one of the embodiments in our Patent No. 3,357,366, led Feb. 17, 1966, and all features not more fully described or illustrated herein may be found in said patent. The mounting and moving mechanisms for the tamping tools are generally conventional and have been fully disclosed, for instance, in our U.S. Patent No. 3,000,327, dated Sept. 19, 1961.

The assembly comprises vibratory shaft 11 supported on tamping tool carrier 5 with its axis parallel to ties 2, this shaft being vibrated by rotation of an axle mounted eccentrically in a central bore of the shaft, as is conventional. A=rms 10 extend from the vibratory shaft in diametrically opposite directions, the full mounting of the assembly on a mobile track tamper moving on track 1 not being illustrated because it is well known and has also been `fully described and illustrated in our Patent No. 3,357,366.

The track tamping tool assembly comprises two groups of tamping tools, each group designed to tamp a tie 2, and represented herein by pairs of opposing tamping tools, only one of the pairs being shown in full while the other pair is indicated only by one tool.

As is also conventional, the tamping' tools comprise pivotal levers 19, 20, respectively, which are pivotally secured intermedi-ate their ends to fulcrums 6 and 14, respectively, and a lower tamping tool part for immersion in the ballast adjacent a respective tie 2. Fixed fulcrum 14, 14 is pivotally secured to each lever 20, 20 of the adjacent tamping tools of the adjacent pairs of the tools, and the means for etfectuating the reciprocation of the adjacent tools consists of hydraulic motors 17 whose piston rods 16 are respectively linked to each of the upper ends of the adjacent tamping tools -for moving the upper tool ends in the direction of elongation of the track.

As shown, the cylinders of the hydraulic motors 17 are linked to the outer ends of the vibratory arms 10 at pivots 18 so that the vibration of the vibratory arms is transmitted to the tamping tools via their reciprocating devices. l

Fulcrums 6 of the tamping tool levers 19, which support the lower tamping tool part constituted by tamping tool jaw mounts 3 with their tamping jaws 25, are mounted for movement in the direction of elongation of the track and are secured to slidable supports mounted on support rails 7 carried by brackets 8 in tamping tool carrier 5, all in a manner well known per se. As also -fully described in our Patent No. 3,357,366, the tamping tool reciprocating device includes piston rods 12 attached to the sliding supports 7 and gliding in stationary cylinder 13 centrally of the adjacent pairs of tools.

The lower ends of levers 20 have sockets 21 wherein the tamping tool jaw mounts 4 are removably held. In accordance with this invention and as shown at 22, the tamping tool jaw lmounts 4, 4 of the adjacent tamping tools are bent towards each other immediately below the sockets 21, whereby an upper portion of each mount extends in a first substantially vertical plane, a lower portion extends in a second substantially vertical plane spaced yfrom the rst plane in the direction of elongation of the track, and a connecting crank portion between the upper and lower portions extends from the first to the second plane. In this manner, the two adjacent tamping tools in the interspace between two adjacent ties will overlap each other at least partially in a plane transverse to the elongation of the track in their lowermost or tamping position when the tamping tool jaws and their mounts are immersed in the ballast below the connecting portion at the beginning of a ktamping stroke when the opposed tools of each tamping tool group are moved farthest apart (FIG. l).

In this manner, the reciprocating stroke of the tamping tools may be increased to a maximum while the resistance against their penetration into the ballast during immersion is reduced to a mini-mum.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 2, the tamping tool levers 20 of the adjacent tamping tools have upper and lower portions extending in vertical planes parallel to the elongation of the track, the lower portions being laterally offset from the upper portions, with a connecting crank portion 23 between the upper and lower portions. In this manner, the upper portions of adjacent tamping tools may be reciprocated in the direction of elongation of the track in the 4same vertical plane extending in such direction while the lower, laterally offset portions of the adjacent tamping tools are reciprocated below the connecting portion 23 in parallel planes, thus producing the advantageous arrangement shown in FIGS. 2 and 3.

As shown in FIG. 2, the offset configuration of the tamping tools is preferably arranged above the socket 21, i.e. in the tamping tool lever, and the connecting portions 23 of adjacent tools extend in opposite directions.

Preferably, the tamping jaws 24 and 25 have the corrugated contiguration more fully described and claimed in our copending application Ser. No. 575,043, filed Aug. 25, 1966. This makes it possible to arrange the adjacent tamping tools in the smallest possible space while making it possible to have a maximum tamping stroke.

Obviously, difference portions of the adjacent tamping tools may be offset in relation to each other in a variety of ways, either in the direction of the track elongation or of the tie elongation, and! or any combination of such offset tamping tool portions may be used to facilitate the relative movement of the adjacent tamping tools without interference with each other.

While specific embodiments have been described and illustrated, it will be understood that many modifications and variations may occur to those skilled in the art.

We claim:

1. In a machine for tamping ballast underneath a track including rails supported on a plurality of spaced ties resting on the ballast, lcomprising a tamping tool having a lower part for immersion in the ballast adjacent a respective one of said ties, and means for reciprocating the tamping tool about a fulcium in the direction of elongation of the track towards and away from said respective tie, the fulcrum being positioned above said lower part, the improvement of the lower tamping tool part having two portions offset from each other in the direction of elongation of the track, and a connecting portion -between the two portions, the lower one of said offse-t portions being farther from the respective tie than the upper offset portion, and the connecting portion being at the upper end of the lower part which is not immersed in the ballast.

2. The improvement of claim 1, wherein the two offset portions extend in spaced planes substantially vertical to the track plane.

3. The improvement of claim 1, wherein the offset portions are also offset from each other in the direction of the elongation, the two offset portions extending in planes substantially vertical to the track plane and offset from each other in the direction of elongation of the track and the direction transverse thereto.

4. The improvement of claim 1, wherein the tamping tool comprises a lever and a tamping tool jaw mount attached to the lever, the fulcrum being located on the lever and the jaw mount constituting said lower tamping tool part.

5. The improvement of claim 4, wherein the lever has two laterally offset portions, the two offset lever portions extending in substantially vertical planes parallel to the elongation of the track, and a connecting portion between the two lever portions, the two offset lever portions extending below the fulcrum.

6. In an assembly for tamping ballast underneath a track including rails supported on a plurality of spaced ties resting on the ballast, comprising two groups of tamping tools spaced from each other in the direction of elongation of the track, one of the tools of each group being adjacent to one of the tools in the other group in the direction of track elongation, the adjacent tamping tools each having a lower part for immersion in the ballast adjacent respective adjacent ones of said ties, and imeans for reciprocating the adjacent tamping tools about a respective fulcrum in the direction of elongation of the track towards and away from each other, the fulcrum of each tool being positioned above said lower part, the improvement of said lower part of each adjacent tamping tool having two portions offset from each other in the direction of elongation of the track, and a connecting portion between the two offset portions, the lower ones of said offset portions of the adjacent tamping tools being closer to each other than the upper offset portions, and the connecting portions being at the upper ends of the lower parts of the adjacent tamping tools, which are not immersed in the ballast.

7. The improvement of claim 6, wherein each of said adjacent tamping tools comprises a lever and a tamping tool jaw mounted attached to the lever, the fulcru-m being located on the lever and the jaw mount constituting said lower tamping tool part, the lever having two laterally offset portions, the two offset lever port-ions extending in substantially vertical planes parallel to the elongation of the track, and a connecting portion between the two lever portions, the two offset lever portions extending below the fulcrum, and the upper ones of the offset lever portions of the adjacent tamping tools being arranged in a single Vertical plane extending in the direction of elongation ofthe track.

8. In a machine for tamping ballast underneath a track including rails supported on a plurality o-f spaced ties rresting on the ballast, comprising a pair of tamping tools each having a lower part `for immersion in the ballast adjacent a respective one of said ties, and means for reciprocating the tamping tools about a fulcrum in the direction of elongation of the track towards and away from said respective ties, the fulcrum being positioned above said lower part, the improvement of at least one of the lower tamping tool parts having two portions connected by a bend, the lower one of said portions being farther away from the respective tie than the upper portion.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,497,682 2/1950 Mem 104-12 2,693,769 11/1954 Herlehy 104-7 2,734,463 2/1956 Hursh et a1. 104-7 3,292,558 12/1966 Oville 104-12 FOREIGN PATENTS 793,377 4/1958 Great Britain. 1,030,157 3/1953 France.

ARTHUR L. LAPOINT, Primary Examiner.

RICHARD A. BERTSCH, Assistant Examiner. 

